Chapter 431 will achieve a more ideal effect.

The scale of this prayer ceremony was truly grand. The emperor and empress, along with their concubines of the rank of consort and above, all the princes, members of the imperial family, and key officials of the court, marched in a magnificent procession along the streets, attracting crowds of onlookers.

Upon arriving at Jing'an Temple, the Emperor personally knelt before the Buddha and chanted scriptures for a full hour. When he rose, he was unsteady on his feet and nearly fell. Naturally, the entourage behind him also knelt for a full hour.

After returning from Jing'an Temple, the Emperor decreed that officials who accompanied the prayers that day, if they had no urgent official business, may return to their residences to rest. Upon returning home, Jiang Yu first went to his mother Lu Yifang's courtyard and instructed her to copy the scriptures and then send them to the temple to pray for the Empress Dowager. Lu Yifang immediately agreed.

Jiang Yu then sent messengers to the Marquis of Anyuan's residence and the Duke of Wei's residence, instructing the women of both families to also transcribe scriptures and pray for the Empress Dowager's well-being. She knew that with the Empress Dowager seriously ill and the Emperor so preoccupied with worry that he had no interest in state affairs, this matter needed the participation of all officials and their families to achieve the best effect.

Within two days, temples in and around the capital were packed with noblewomen holding handwritten scriptures, all there to pray for the Empress Dowager's well-being. When the Emperor learned that Jiang Yu had initiated this, he summoned her to his study and praised her in person.

After the news spread, more officials instructed the women of the inner palace to pray for the Empress Dowager's well-being through chanting scriptures and making offerings. For a time, the most talked-about topic in the entire capital was the Empress Dowager's illness and the arrangements made by various families for her prayers.

"In that case, the news should reach Lingnan very soon." The emperor summoned Jiang Yu to the imperial study, but his tone was not very cheerful. If he hadn't been forced to, he would not have wanted to make a fuss about the Empress Dowager's illness.

Jiang Yu could understand the emperor's feelings. With a loved one's life hanging by a thread, no one would be willing to use this matter to gain momentum unless forced by circumstances. She recalled how her grandfather, on his deathbed, had even used his own funeral arrangements to suppress the Earl of Qingshan, and a pang of sorrow welled up in her heart.

She looked at the emperor and said, "I imagine that the Prince of Lingnan will set off for the capital after receiving the news. Moreover, the Empress Dowager has always done good deeds and will surely be blessed with good fortune. Her health will gradually improve, and Your Majesty should also take good care of yourself."

The Emperor sighed deeply: "The Empress Dowager was just mentioning her childhood in the Tang family yesterday. I have already ordered that the great scholar Tang and the women of the Tang family be summoned to the palace to visit them. Your mother should go with them as well."

"Yes," Jiang Yu replied, accepting the order.

The Emperor, having no interest in discussing anything else, waved for Jiang Yu to leave. Jiang Yu respectfully bowed and withdrew from the Imperial Study, thinking to himself: Judging from the Emperor's demeanor today, the Empress Dowager's condition is probably more serious than before. Prince Rui has been staying in the palace these past few days, attending to the Empress Dowager at her bedside; he must be deeply anxious about her health.

Back at the Duke's mansion, Jiang Yu first went to the backyard to inform Lu Yifang that she had been ordered to accompany the Tang family to the palace to visit the ailing Empress Dowager. Upon hearing this, Lu Yifang couldn't help but sigh. The Empress Dowager had been taking care of the Duke's mansion for many years, and she was naturally worried about the Empress Dowager's health.

After discussing the Empress Dowager's affairs, Lu Yifang changed the subject: "The eldest son of the Chang family in Jiangnan arrived in the capital yesterday. Just now, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Chang family sent someone to ask when you would be free to meet him."

Jiang Yu thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk about it after Mother goes to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager."

"Alright." Lu Yifang picked up her teacup, took a sip, and gently wiped her lips with a handkerchief. She said in a light tone, "I had someone inquire about the Chang family in Jiangnan. Their family traditions are quite upright. The eldest son of the Chang family is the designated heir to the family. He is an honest and upright person, and I haven't heard of him having any concubines or anything like that."

Lu Yifang had never suppressed or become close to Jiang Chengye's illegitimate daughters. However, because of Jiang Ling's matter, she had become somewhat distant from Jiang Shan. Even so, she did not intend to interfere with Jiang Shan's marriage.

Jiang Yu understood her thoughts and reached out to squeeze her hand: "If they live a peaceful life, they won't hold a grudge against the Duke's Mansion, which will save us a lot of trouble."

Lu Yifang nodded: "I understand this reasoning. I heard a few days ago that the third daughter of the Wu family, a Hanlin scholar, had an affair with the husband of the second daughter, who was born out of wedlock. It's obvious that this kind of thing is a scandal caused by infighting within the inner quarters."

Jiang Yu hadn't expected such explosive rumors to circulate within the inner quarters of the capital. After digesting the information for a moment, she said, "In our household, apart from Jiang Ling, the other sisters are quite well-behaved. When arranging their engagements, we should try to go along with their wishes and prepare generous dowries."

Lu Yifang was not a stingy person to begin with, and the Chu State Duke's mansion was large and wealthy, so they didn't care about the dowry expenses of their concubine daughters. She took out a list from her sleeve and handed it to Jiang Yu: "This is the dowry list I prepared for Jiang Shan. Take a look."

Jiang Yu glanced at the list, which included fertile land, shops, and gold and silver jewelry—a considerable sum for a concubine's daughter. She nodded and handed the list back, saying, "Mother, you may make the decision."

...

The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer before Jiang Yu got up and went to the front yard, while Lu Yifang stayed behind to prepare for the trip to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager. The next day, Jiang Yu went to the government office early as usual, while Lu Yifang went to the palace with the Tang family to visit the Empress Dowager.

When Jiang Yu returned home after her shift, she met Lu Yifang and heard her say, "The Empress Dowager seems to be in good spirits, but she is sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. However, she still recognizes your great-uncle, and the two of them talked a lot about their old days in the Tang family when they were young."

“After all, the Empress Dowager lived in the Tang family for many years, so their relationship is different.” Jiang Yu inquired more about the Empress Dowager’s health and then said, “I’m off tomorrow, so let the eldest son of the Chang family come over.”

"Alright, I'll send someone to deliver the message right away." Lu Yifang smoothed the handkerchief in her hand and said, "Once Jiang Shan's marriage is settled, we'll start looking for suitable families for Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister."

Jiang Yu wasn't particularly concerned about this, and knowing that Lu Yifang wouldn't mistreat them, she simply said, "Find them according to their wishes," and then got up to take her leave. After she left, Lu Yifang immediately sent Granny Feng to the Chang family to deliver a message.

Granny Feng arrived at the Chang family's residence in the capital in a sedan chair. Upon hearing that she was from the Duke of Chu's mansion, the gatekeeper hurriedly ushered her inside. Not long after, the second young mistress of the Chang family personally came out to greet her with her entourage.

As the saying goes, "Even a third-rank official is treated with great respect before the Prime Minister's gate," and as the personal maid of the wife of a Duke of Chu, a mansion of the highest rank, Granny Feng was already a figure who required serious consideration even for the Chang family, which was merely a royal merchant family. Now that the Chang family had sent their second young mistress, born of a concubine, to personally greet her, it was already a great honor for the Duke of Chu's mansion and Granny Feng.

Granny Feng didn't put on airs. When she saw the Second Young Mistress Chang, she tried to bow, but the other party naturally refused. The two exchanged pleasantries and walked towards the First Mistress Chang's courtyard.

Granny Feng had previously inquired about the Chang family: the reason why the second young master of the Chang family got married before his eldest brother was because a year ago, when the old lady of the Chang family was seriously ill, the elders in the family believed the rumors that a marriage to bring good luck would make the old lady better.

The eldest son of the Chang family was married off, and his marriage was a matter of family honor, so it could not be used lightly to bring good luck to the old lady. Therefore, the Chang family chose the second son, who was born out of wedlock, to marry him in order to bring good luck to the old lady. It is said that the old lady's health really improved the day after the second son's wedding, and the second young mistress was therefore very much loved by the old lady.